PREFACE TO " THE FIRST CATECHISM." THE most general and the plainest principles of the christian religionare contracted into so short a form in this first catechism, that they may be easily learned by heart by a child of moderate capacity at four or five years old : Where the understanding appearsmore bright and early the child may begin sooner. By this means young creatures may treasure up a brief scheme of religion in their memory sufficient for their own knowledge and practice at that age. The questions and answers are ranged insuch order as may let the things of God into their minds in the easiest manner ; and for this purpose they ire described in the most obvious and familiar words and phrases. . Notwithstanding all the care that is taken in composing a catechism in the plainest language, yet it may cost the teacher some little pains to make the young child understand every word of it. But it is necessary the child should have some notion of the meaning of every answer before he proceeds to the next question, because every following question depends upon some former answer: And parents and teachers should use their utmost skill in leading the child into the meaningof every question when they ask it, andof every answer when the child repeats it, that the child may not hear and learn mere words and syllables instead of the great things of God and religion. Surely a child of four or fiveyears ol4 may easily learn one answer in the first catechism every week ; and since there are but fourand twenty questions in it, he may finish it in five or six months time ; and he may grow very perfect both in the words and meaning by repeating it constantly once or twice every week till he be seven years old. If the young child can read before he has learned this catechism by heart, it may be useful for him to read it all over by way of lesson atthe reading school every week while he is learning it, that he may take in the meaning of it the better, and that the answer may become familiar and easy to him. When he can say the first catechism perfectly, he may oncein a month at least read over the second till he be six or seven years old, and begins to commit it to memory ; And by this means perhaps he may be allured to get it by heart long before his teachers require it of him. It was not thought necessary to add the texts of scripture to support and prove the answers of this first short catechism, as it is done in the second ; because the child who learns it, is supposed to be rather too young, to com- pare the catechism with all those scriptures, and to discern theconformity between them : Besides, it would take up too much time to employa young child in learning all those scriptures, and withhold him too long from the second catechism. Yet it may not be amiss for the child sometimes when he . reads over the second catechism, to read also the scriptures rhatstand as proofs of it ; and this may bedone even before he begins to learn it by heart as well as afterward'; for thesescriptures are such as contain the chief and most im- portent principles of the ehristian religion, and therefore he should be acquainted with them betimes. And let children have early notice given them, that though such catechisms are composed by men for the easier con- veyance of the knowledge of divine things into the minds of children, yet they are or should be all taken out of the wordof God, for it is the word of God, and not the words of Wren, which most be the foundation and rule cf their belief, and their practice.
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